Authorities say two people were inside the home at the time of the explosion.

A heating and cooling repairman was rushed to the hospital with injuries.

An adult female who lives at the home didn't make it out.

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“We did recover a body from the structure obviously their identity needs to be confirmed,” says Tama County Sheriff Dennis Kucera.

The home's rural location meant no hydrant to plug into. Several surrounding towns brought in their equipment to help.

“When we got here we were running low on water, that's what happens out here. That's why we called Garwin, Green Mountain, and Toledo; they showed up and they brought tankers and we got going,” says Chief Koester.

It took several hours to get the fire under control and once it was, the first responders had time to realize the severity of what they saw.

“It's pretty devastating to experience something like that we're part of the services that respond but it's unbelievable,” says Sheriff Kucera.